Some electronic devices allow a user to enter a number of different commands into the electronic device through a single button, called the home button. In these devices, pressing the home button may shift the electronic device between various modes of operation. Typically, a home button is a mechanical button that recognizes two states: pressed and not pressed. Using the home button, the device may recognize a number of different commands that correspond to the way in which a user presses the home button. For example, pressing the home button for a short duration may indicate a first command, while pressing the home button for a longer duration may indicate a second command. By way of further example, pressing the home button in rapid succession may indicate a third command.
Because these methods of indicating commands allow only a relatively small number of commands to be entered, the functionality of the home button can be relatively limited. Accordingly, in order to expand the functionality of the home button, it would be advantageous to distinguish among a greater number of different ways in which a user presses the home button. In other respects, there is an need to implement the home button functionality without the use of a mechanical button. Because some electronic devices receive other inputs through a touch screen, the use of a mechanical button adds an input mechanism of a different type. Thus, it would be advantageous to implement the home button using a same or similar mechanism that is used to implement the touch screen so that the complexity of the device is reduced. These and other needs are addressed by the following disclosure.